Trump: Strikes on Iran are retaliation for ship attacks, warns of worse consequences

US President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that the latest US strikes on Iran are a direct response to Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. He warned that if such incidents happen again, the consequences will be much worse.

On July 8, US military forces resumed strikes on Iranian territory aimed at denying Iran the ability to block the Strait of Hormuz. According to a statement from US Central Command (CENTCOM), the strikes are conducted to further degrade Iran's capability to threaten freedom of navigation in the region.

In June, the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on a ceasefire and the resumption of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. However, in late June and early July, Iranian forces repeatedly violated the ceasefire, attacking commercial tankers with drones and missiles. On the evening of July 7, the US launched massive strikes on more than 80 Iranian military targets in response to the ship attacks.

Earlier on July 8, Trump declared that the deal with Iran is definitively "over" and threatened a "major attack" on Iranian critical infrastructure.